Cain Denies Reported Sexual Harassment Allegations as ‘False’

By Lisa Lerer and Alison Fitzgerald -
Nov 1, 2011

Republican presidential candidate
Herman Cain, first saying he was unaware of any financial
settlement of sexual harassment claims against him, later
allowed that the restaurant association he ran during the 1990s
paid a woman “maybe three months’ salary” after she complained
about his behavior toward her.

Along with his description of an encounter that may have
made the woman uncomfortable, this was one of several details in
an evolving account of his conduct as head of the National
Restaurant Association during the 1990s as the presidential
candidate faced a series of interviews in Washington.

Cain, saying he was falsely accused of sexual harassment
while running the association, first told an audience at the
National Press Club in Washington yesterday that he was unaware
of any financial settlement of the allegations.

Then he said during an interview on Fox News last night
that the association’s lawyer had informed him that a woman who
worked for him and accused him of harassment was “demanding a
huge financial settlement.” He said the attorney told him the
complaint was baseless yet “we ended up settling for what would
have been a termination settlement.”

Cain told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren that the settlement
was “maybe three months’ salary or something like that.”

This is one of some evolving accounts of an episode from
Cain’s past that has emerged in the midst of his increasingly
successful bid for the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential
nomination. In a recent poll among Republicans in Iowa, the
former Godfather’s Pizza chief executive holds a statistical tie
with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney for the lead.

Allegations of Harassment

Cain, who repeatedly said yesterday that he ``never
sexually harassed anyone,’’ also has told interviewers that his
behavior at the association, which he ran from late 1996 to
mid-1999, may have been misinterpreted by women there. Cain told
Bloomberg News that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission had investigated the claim of one woman.

Politico reported on Oct. 30 that at least two female
employees of the restaurant association complained to officials
after Cain acted in a sexually suggestive way. The women,
unnamed in the report, received separation packages in the five-
figure range, according to the website.

‘Made a Gesture’

In the Fox News interview, Cain said the group’s general
counsel came to him at the association and told him that a woman
had complained of sexual harassment. Cain said he recalled her
standing in the door of his office once “and I made a gesture
saying, `Oh’ -- and I was standing close to her. And I made a
gesture. ‘You’re the same height as my wife,’ and brought my
hand -- didn’t touch her -- up to my chin and said, `You’re the
same height of my wife because my wife comes up to my chin.'”

In an interview with Judy Woodruff on “PBS NewsHour” last
night, Cain said he had turned the complaint of one woman over
to the general counsel and said he “never even knew” that a
second claim had been made against him.

He recalled telling the woman who complained of harassment
that she was the same height as his wife, and told Woodruff:
“This lady’s 5 feet tall and she came up to my chin. So
obviously she thought that that was too close for comfort. It
showed up in the actual allegation. But at the the time when I
did that, you know, it was in my office, the door was wide open,
and my secretary was sitting right there, as we were standing
there and I made the little gesture.”

Asked whether he had exhibited any inappropriate behavior,
Cain said no, “but as you would imagine, it’s in the eye of the
person that thinks that maybe I crossed the line.”

‘Falsely Accused’

Appearing at a National Press Club luncheon yesterday, Cain
said, “I have never sexually harassed anyone.” He said that he
had been falsely accused during his tenure at the restaurant
association and that “it was concluded after a thorough
investigation that it had no basis.”

“As far as a settlement, I am unaware of any sort of
settlement,” he said, adding: “I hope it wasn’t for much,
because I didn’t do anything.”

Cain faces this new scrutiny as recent polls show him
picking up support in the race for the Republican nomination.

Cain’s Gains

A Des Moines Register survey of likely caucus-goers in
Iowa, the state hosting the premier presidential nominating
contest in January, shows Cain claiming the support of 23
percent, Romney 22 percent.

For all his gains in the polls, Cain trails his rivals in
fundraising and has scant organization in Iowa -- traditionally
a prerequisite for a strong caucus showing. His visit to the
state a week ago was his first in more than two months.

Cain, 65, also has sought to recover from a series of
stumbles in recent weeks. A campaign website ad picturing his
campaign manager puffing on a cigarette and closing with a
close-up of Cain smiling prompted a spate of jokes by late-night
television comedians. And Cain has had to clarify several
controversial statements, including his views on abortion,
foreign policy and building an electrified fence along the
Mexico border.

Role of Race

Some prominent Republican commentators have rallied to his
side on the new allegations, questioning whether the report of
sexual harassment had racial undertones and drawing comparisons
to accusations leveled at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
during his 1991 confirmation hearings.

“It’s outrageous the way liberals treat a black
conservative,” author Ann Coulter said yesterday in an
interview on Fox News. “This is another high-tech lynching.”

At the National Press Club, Cain said race isn’t playing a
role in his campaign. “This many white people can’t pretend
that they like me,” Cain said.

He closed his appearance at the press club in his signature
style, singing a gospel song for the audience.

On the way to the press club, Cain described himself as an
“unconventional” candidate with “a sense of humor.”

“Some people have a problem with that,” Cain said.
“Herman be Herman, and Herman is gonna stay Herman.”

Cain as Lobbyist

Cain spent two years as volunteer chairman of the National
Restaurant Association, and then left Godfather’s in 1996 to
lead the Washington-based trade group full-time.

In that role, he lobbied against a ban on indoor smoking,
increases in the minimum wage, stricter workplace safety
standards and lower blood alcohol limits for drunken driving. He
also worked in favor of welfare overhaul and bigger tax
deductions for business meals.

The restaurant association declined to comment on the
allegations in a statement on its website, citing a
“longstanding policy” of not publically discussing personnel
issues relating to current or former employees.

Officials at the EEOC also refused to comment on any probe.
Christine Nazer, an agency spokeswoman, said no lawsuits were
filed against Godfather’s Pizza or the National Restaurant
Association. The commission files lawsuits only against
employers, not against individuals, she said.

Cain and his campaign initially denied the allegations. In
a statement on Oct. 30, campaign spokesman J.D. Gordon said:
“Since Washington establishment critics haven’t had much luck
in attacking Mr. Cain’s ideas to fix a bad economy and create
jobs, they are trying to attack him in any way they can.”

After his press club appearance in Washington, Cain told
WHO-AM in Des Moines, a widely heard station in Iowa: “The Cain
train is staying on track, and we are making sure that we don’t
allow these distractions from former employees and opponents to
really get us off message.”